Days Gone By
by valix33
Summary: This is an alternate version of the first four seasons of Walking Dead, with some events changed and characters added in. Focuses mostly on the OCs, Daryl, and Rick.
1. Chapter 1

**I started writing this to fill the void now that the season is over. This story will follow all the seasons of Walking Dead, features both all the characters from the show and some OCs that I inserted into the story. Most of the events will be the same, but some things will change. I don't own anything that I don't own.**

There were three of them in the car that travelled down the abandoned road. Frank was in the back, a lanky kid with black hair over his face. In the passenger seat was another boy with an athletic figure and short blonde hair, Eddie. Uri was driving, amber brown eyes locked on the road. Her hair was dyed bright red, her body shaped like an hourglass. They were just kids, but they still knew how to survive.

"You still good to drive?" asked Frank from the back. He cared deeply about Uri and her well-being was his priority.

"I'm fine," she assured.

"We could always find a motel," Eddie joked. For some reason he was never able to take anything seriously. Uri put up with it, but Frank found it annoying.

As they drove through the darkness, Uri couldn't help but take in the emptiness that surrounded them so completely. There used to be cars on this road at all hours of the night, but now it didn't matter what time of day it was. They had no destination, just away from where they'd been.

"What's that?" inquired Eddie, glancing out the window. Uri looked in the same direction and saw a figure sitting on the side of the road, totally alone. At first it seemed like just a corpse, but then one of its hands waved at them as they passed.

"It's just a walker," Uri dismissed.

"That's a person, we have to stop," Eddie pressed, earning stares from both his companions.

"Don't listen to him," said Frank.

"Uri, that wasn't a walker," Eddie stated. This was the first time she'd heard him serious in the entire time she'd known him. Something made her stomp on the brake pedal, even though she did so reluctantly.

They got out of the minivan together, walking around to the trunk where all their supplies were. There was food, water, sleeping bags, and their meager supply of weapons. Both Eddie and Frank grabbed metal baseball bats while Uri picked up her favorite hooked knife. She led as they walked back to where the figure was.

It was another kid, about their age. He was somewhat chubby, with buzzed dark brown hair and tired green eyes. Even as they approached he didn't move, just kept sitting with his back against a tree. The three companions stood just far enough away that he couldn't reach them quickly.

"Who are you?" Uri demanded.

"Matthew." There was no emotion in his answer, like he didn't even care.

"Are you bit?" Matthew shook his head.

"You can search me," he told them. The way he said it made her believe him and she took a step toward him.

"Uri, don't trust this guy," Frank warned.

"Do you have anyone with you?" she asked.

"Just me."

"You have weapons?" He produced a pocket knife from his jeans and showed it to her, then turned out his pockets to prove he had nothing else on him.

"Where are you guys going?" he inquired.

"We don't have a destination," Eddie chimed in from behind.

"Neither do I," replied Matthew. It didn't look like he had a lot, other than the knife she saw nothing but a backpack on his shoulders.

"Can we trust you?" she questioned. She didn't want him to say yes, because that meant he was saying what she wanted to hear.

"I don't know," he answered. She glanced back at Eddie and Frank. Eddie gave her a slight nod, while Frank kept shaking his head.

"You can put your stuff in the trunk," she told him. Frank narrowed his eyes but kept silent, walking ahead of the others back to the minivan. Uri followed after a moment and Eddie remained to stroll with Matthew over to the vehicle. He tried to give an encouraging smile, but either Matthew didn't notice it or he just didn't care. After tossing his backpack in the trunk and tucking the knife back in his pocket he climbed in next to Frank.

Everything was silent for the rest of that night, Uri continuing to drive until the sun began to rise above the horizon. Matthew kept his gaze out the window, ignoring the glare he kept getting from Frank. There was a tense air about the car, everyone having mixed emotions about the new addition.

At six in the morning it was time to switch drivers, so Uri pulled over to the side of the road again. Matthew didn't get out of his seat but he kept glancing behind him as if expecting to be followed. Frank moved wordlessly around to the driver's seat. Before he could get inside, everyone heard the sound of another vehicle approaching. Instinctively they raced back to the trunk, while Matthew reached into his pocket for the knife and ducked down so he couldn't be seen.

There were two vehicles, a long motorcycle and a large white van. The man on the motorcycle looked intimidating, a redneck looking man wearing a tank top. When the van pulled up next to them three other men got out. One had dark skin and a serious nature about him, but some gentleness as well. The second was a wise looking man with dark hair and a scruffy beard. It was the third that caused worry, an athletically built man dressed in a police officer uniform. He was the leader, there was no doubt about that.

"Put your weapons down," he ordered. The three raised guns and the redneck aimed a crossbow at Eddie. This was why Frank didn't like people.

"You'll have to shoot me," Uri stated defiantly.

"That's an option," chimed in the redneck. "What do you think, Shane?"

"They're just kids, Daryl," said the bearded man. "Shane, what if it was Carl?" Eddie could tell that this man had a family of his own.

"Carl is safe at camp, and he'd be smart enough to lower his weapon," the officer responded.

"Morales is right," the dark skinned man argued. "They're just scared. We could bring them back with us."

"Another mouth to feed," Shane stated.

"We know how to kill walkers," said Eddie, trying to play politics. He was scared, mostly because of the crossbow aimed at his head.

"This is wrong," Morales told the others. "We have to show some mercy, it's the right thing to do." Daryl walked over to the minivan and peered inside the window, spotting Matthew.

"They got another one hiding in here," he shouted, opening the door. Matthew tried to resist, but Daryl yanked him out and shoved him up against the minivan.

"Leave him alone," Eddie snapped, another first.

"Put your weapons down," Shane repeated. Eddie was the first to comply, tossing his bat on the ground. Uri carefully set hers down and Frank finally relented as well.

"So what do we do?" asked Daryl.

"We'll bring them back," Shane decided. "If they try anything they're done. T-Dog get their weapons, they get them back when we're at camp." T-Dog walked around and got both the bats and the knife. There was an apologetic look on his face, one that Eddie registered.

"Let the kid go, Daryl," Morales instructed. Daryl stepped away from Matthew and Matthew stood there with a terrified expression. He didn't move until Morales himself came over and put a hand around his shoulder, guiding him over to the van. T-Dog and Eddie also went over to the van, while Shane got into the minivan with Uri and Frank in the back. Daryl got back on his motorcycle and all three vehicles drove off. Things had changed a lot since last night.

**Got to meet my major characters. ****Next chapter will have them getting back to camp and meeting the other important characters from the first season. Let me know what you thought.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope I didn't keep anyone waiting too long. This follows the four OCs as they arrive at the Atlanta Camp. I don't own anything that I don't own.**

It felt like a death march into the roadside camp, all eyes staring at the four as they were led past multiple tents and a crowd of people. There were close to a hundred people, all wandering around doing different things. Uri saw clotheslines, pans frying on fires, and children running around playing. Shane got everyone to gather around, demonstrating the hold he had over everyone.

"Listen up," he called. "We got some new members. They're part of us now, so treat them as such." It seemed like a strange change from the way he'd been earlier, but she understood when she saw a boy with short brown hair staring at Shane with admiration. They didn't look related, but he looked like the pretty woman behind him with dark brown hair.

Everyone dispersed after the announcement, and after a warning glance she was left alone by Shane to walk around. All her companions had been guided to another area, she wished even Matthew was here next to her. There was a pair of sisters that came up to her, both blonde.

"My name's Amy," said one of the sisters. "This is my sister Andrea. We're always glad to have new members." Andrea didn't look as welcoming, but Uri wanted to get to know the sisters. She extended her hand and Andrea took it, managing a smile.

Eddie stuck by T-Dog, learning that his name was Theodore. T-Dog walked him around camp, showing him where everything was. He even offered to share some tent space with Eddie, since there weren't any extras and he was just by himself at the moment. Then he introduced him to a young Asian man named Glenn.

"Where you from?" Glenn asked.

"Macon," Eddie answered. "I lived with my parents." Glenn didn't ask about them, understanding.

"I used to be holed up in Macon," he stated. "Then I tried to reach Atlanta."

"You're lucky," Eddie told him.

"Yeah," Glenn agreed. "It was nice to meet you." He trotted off and Eddie continued to walk around with T-Dog.

"What's with Shane?" he inquired.

"He's a hard-ass," T-Dog explained. "Used to be a cop. His best friend got shot and he had to save his friend's wife and kid during the outbreak. Everyone listens to him because he knows what he's doing." That was debatable, but Eddie liked most of the other people around here.

"I like your van," he commented.

"That thing's gotten me through a lot," confessed T-Dog. "When the shit hit the fan, I took that thing around my neighborhood to every house searching for someone that had survived. Had to make a lot of quick getaways."

"I feel the same way about ours," Eddie sympathized, nodding his head. "We used to be with a group in the old grocery store, but we got overrun. As far as I could tell we were the only ones who made it, thanks to Uri."

"Everyone's been through the ringer," T-Dog said. "Some of us a few times." There was one thing Eddie knew, T-Dog could be trusted.

Frank had wandered off by himself and kept passing people, but made no effort to really talk to people. There was one guy that he managed to strike up a conversation with, a mechanic named Jim. Jim was just sitting near his tent, drinking a beer.

"You one of the new kids?" he inquired. "Name's Jim. I fix things around here."

"I'm Frank," Frank greeted. "This looks like a nice place." Jim shrugged, taking another sip of beer.

"The people are nice enough. We survive. You found a tent to sleep in yet?" When Frank shook his head, Jim continued, "I got space if you need it." It could've come off creepy, but the way he said it made Frank like him.

"Thanks Jim."

Morales had taken it upon himself to show Matthew around. Matthew got to know Morales' family first, his gentle wife Miranda and his energetic little daughter Eliza. He also had a son named Louis, no doubt close to his father because he hugged him very tightly as soon as they got back. Afterward they walked to an RV. Morales knocked on the door and an older man came out with a big smile on, a bearded man with a gut on him and a knowledgeable nature to him.

"Who would this be?" inquired the smiling man curiously.

"Matthew," Matthew whispered. This didn't shake the man's smile.

"Dale. Not much of a talker, are you?" Matthew shook his head and Dale laughed.

"Dale is a good guy," Morales assured him. "I'm going to have a word with him, okay? You should get to know the place if you're staying." Matthew nodded and quietly walked off to explore.

As he walked he passed by redneck central, where he saw Daryl standing. There was another man with him, a bald guy with a wicked smile and a generally intimidating presence. Daryl glanced at him with a stone-faced expression, but Merle took a few steps toward him.

"What do we have here?" he demanded, smirking. "The zombies didn't catch up to you yet, Porky Pig?" Matthew remained rooted to the spot, too scared to say anything but too scared to run away.

"Go check on the snares, Merle," Daryl said, more of a suggestion than a command. Merle seemed irritated, but nevertheless left Matthew alone and retreated into the woods. When he was gone Daryl walked up to him and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a knife and Matthew flinched. But then he placed it in Matthew's hand.

"What's this?" Matthew asked.

"It's your knife," Daryl replied as if it was obvious, which it was. In his nervousness Matthew had forgotten that his knife had been confiscated. T-Dog must have given it to Daryl to give back.

"Thanks."

"Don't fuck up." With that Daryl left him alone, confused as to what he should think. Merle was clearly just a bully, but he couldn't figure out Daryl.

Eventually he made his way over to the lake and sat by the water, staring at his reflection on its surface. He grabbed a few rocks and skipped them, counting each time how many bounces he could get. Every time it would ripple and distort his face. There was no sound, no birds or gunshots or screams.

"Did you want some food?" asked a woman from behind him. When he turned around there was a middle-aged woman and her young daughter standing there. In her arms was a paper plate with some chicken on it. That had to be hard to catch, since domestic animals were much more difficult to find these days. The little girl was hiding halfway behind her mother, holding a doll.

He accepted the plate and ripped a piece off with his fingers. No one really cared about manners in the apocalypse, so she looked at him no differently for it. It tasted so good to have some solid food and not soup from a can. Afterward he glanced back up at her and gave her a grateful smile.

"I'm Carol," she told him somewhat meekly. "This is Sophia." In spite of himself he waved a little at the little girl and she grinned back.

"Carol, get back over here!" commanded a large and out of shape man from a nearby tent. Carol flinched just from his voice and guided Sophia with her back over to the tent, sneaking one last look at Matthew. He instantly hated that man. It didn't take much to tell when someone was just an ass, and that's what Carol's husband was.

At first he thought he'd be alone for a while, but then the blonde kid came strolling over to him. They hadn't actually talked, but he'd been the nice one. For a moment he was silent, so Matthew just continued to skip rocks. The blonde picked up a rock and tossed it at the water. Instead of skipping it merely splashed and sunk, causing the boy to swear quietly.

"Never was very good at that," he commented with a smirk. "We never got to actually meet before. I'm Eddie." When Matthew said nothing he continued, "So what do you think of this place?"

"Haven't decided yet," Matthew answered.

"The people seem nice," stated Eddie.

"Not all of them." Eddie was impressed, this was the most he'd heard Matthew talk.

"You're right, Shane's not very welcoming," he agreed.

"Or Carol's husband or Merle," Matthew added.

"You know, you never said where you came from," Eddie reminded, trying to poke around a little. Matthew froze in that moment and shut off again. Eddie picked up that he'd stepped too far and took it as his cue to leave. Baby steps.

After another few hours of exploring, Uri met with Eddie and Frank alone in the woods. No one had noticed them leaving and they likely wouldn't care either way. Eddie had wanted to bring Matthew along but Frank wouldn't have it. Besides, they didn't know where his head was at.

"How are you guys feeling?" she inquired.

"I think this place could be safe for us," Eddie asserted. "They have guns here and people who know how to use them. It's a hell of a lot safer than staying out on the road."

"Is it?" asked Frank. "These people are dangerous. I don't know who's worse, the trigger happy cop or the redneck brothers."

"What about the other kid?" she questioned, "Matthew? He seemed like we can trust him." Eddie nodded his agreement but Frank snorted in derision.

"Leave him here," he suggested. "When they were coming at us he hid in the minivan. And he hasn't said anything to anyone the whole time we've been here."

"He talked to me," said Eddie with a glare. "If we don't trust other people, how are we going to survive?"

"There are good people here," Uri interjected. "We should give this camp a chance, maybe it'll work out."

"This is a mistake." With that Frank stormed off back toward camp, resigned to his unheard objections.

Shane had called another meeting not long after that, and everyone gathered in the center of camp. Eddie was apart from his companions and stood next to T-Dog. Frank was to Uri's right and Amy was to her left.

"We need to make a run into the city," he announced. "Some of us need to stay back and protect the camp, so the run will be a volunteer mission." Andrea and Morales were the first ones to volunteer, followed by a middle-aged woman with short hair named Jacqui. T-Dog patted Eddie on the shoulder before stepping forward as well and Glenn raised his hand from the back of the crowd.

"I'm going too," shouted Merle from outside the group. Everyone gave him a skeptical look, including the three teens.

"This is a team mission Merle," Shane reminded. "You can't just run in shooting by yourself."

"Like I'm going to trust y'all with my food," Merle spat, "I'm going." With fists clenched, Shane kept his mouth shut and Merle joined the other five. It was clear that everyone at camp felt the same way, too complacent to say something and content to let him make doormats out of everyone. Everyone dispersed after the group had been selected and the six left to prepare. Shane walked up to the teens as they were moving together toward the tents.

"Hey," he called out. "Where's that other kid in your group? He didn't show up." The three looked around and noticed that Matthew was nowhere to be seen.

While the meeting was going on, Matthew was wandering through the woods by himself. The camp was still in his view and he had the pocket knife in his hand. He didn't even know what he was looking for but he wanted to explore the area anyway. Trust wasn't a vocabulary word that he knew too well and their word that the camp was protected didn't mean very much. He wasn't sure how much he trusted these new survivors. Eddie maybe, and he could see no reason why Morales couldn't be trusted, but it wasn't very easy to earn his faith.

There was a sound that made his heart instantly start to beat faster, the sound of moaning. When he turned there was not just one, but three walkers coming toward him. He walked up to the first one with the pocket knife and stabbed it through the forehead. The second one he did the same, then threw the knife into the third's head with perfect accuracy. Once they were dead he breathed a sigh of relief and forced himself to calm down, trying to get his heartbeat back to normal.

A hand grabbed his shoulder suddenly and he spun, finding two more behind him. Its jaws tried to bite him and he jumped back instinctively, tripping. He landed on the ground with it on top of him, using his hands to keep it inches away from him. His legs pressed against its stomach and rolled it off to the side. As he jumped up the two came at him again and he threw the first through the sharp end of a tree branch. The last one lumbered at him and he knocked it down. He wrapped his fingers around a rock and started beating it to death. After about six times it finally stopped moving and he dropped the blood splattered rock.

It was too late to stop the panic from setting in. He thought about its jaws and how he'd come so close to death and he started to hyperventilate. His heartbeat was so loud that he could hear it and everything started to spin. Soon he was down on the ground, blackness making its way into his vision. There was a face above him for a second, but he couldn't make it out through the blurriness. Then he saw nothing.

**So Matthew did get to kill walkers, but now he's unconscious. Sorry about focusing so much on the OCs but I wanted to integrate them into the story. Next chapter the Grimes family will take a part in the story and the other characters will get some time as well. Let me know what you thought.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took so long, but this is a long update. We get to learn a little more about the characters, the Grimes family comes into the story a little, and we get Glenn's perspective. I don't own anything that I don't own.**

When Matthew woke up, he was in the back of Dale's RV. He was lying on a bed with a pillow under his head. As he looked around there were a couple of shelves upon which were two sleeping bags, a toolbox in the corner, and a bathroom on the side. There was blood on his shirt and some on his face too. Uri and Eddie were sitting on the floor, watching him.

"How long was I out?" he asked, alerting them.

"About eighteen hours or so," Eddie answered. "Really gave us a scare pal."

"What happened?" inquired Matthew, sitting up and looking down at his shirt. "Why is there blood on my shirt?"

"After you killed those walkers Daryl found you," Uri explained. "He had to leave you alone to go get help, so he used walker blood to mask your scent. Him and Shane brought you back and put you in the RV. Everyone heard about how you killed five walkers by yourself. But what happened to you?"

"I was born with high anxiety," Matthew told them. "I used to take medication, but I ran out once the outbreak happened and I haven't been able to find any. When I get really freaked out I start having a panic attack and then I pass out. It's really embarrassing."

"Lucky for you Daryl was out there," said Eddie. "For us too. You're one of my pals now."

"We just met two days ago," Matthew reminded him.

"It doesn't matter," Uri stated firmly, "we trust you and you're part of our group." She did trust him. She didn't know what changed, but he was one of the good ones. They needed to stick together.

"So where is everyone?" questioned Matthew.

"Dale's up on the roof keeping an eye out," Eddie told him. "Shane's in the woods, Frank's with Jim, Daryl went on a hunting trip, and the Atlanta group left this morning. According to Dale they should be back in the afternoon."

"I'm going to walk around," Matthew stated, hopping out of the bed. When both Eddie and Uri gave him a skeptical look he added, "I'll stay in camp this time, I promise." As he left he tried to understand why he'd said that. He didn't know them well, he didn't owe them anything, but he wanted them to like him for some reason. Maybe it was because they were all in the same situation, they weren't so different.

"You alright?" Dale asked when he walked out. He turned on his heels and gave Dale a quick thumbs-up. The young brown-haired boy from yesterday came up to him with a huge smile.

"I heard about how you killed those walkers by yourself and it's so awesome!" he exclaimed happily. "My name's Carl." Matthew smirked at Carl's eagerness and patted him on the shoulder.

"Where's your mom?" he inquired curiously.

"She's with Shane," Carl answered enthusiastically. "I was playing with my cars. Do you want to play too?" Matthew liked this kid, untainted by the world. There were a couple of Hot Wheels cars on the dirt a few feet away and the eagerness of Carl's request just persuaded him to stay. He nodded and Carl grabbed his hand, pulling him over to the cars.

He liked most of these people, he really did. But he couldn't let his wall down too far or he'd get hurt. There was always pain when he allowed people in. These people would be making a mistake to trust him.

_I must be fucking crazy, _Glenn thought to himself as he waited at the gate for the idiot cop to hurry his ass up. They'd sent him to scout for any nearby zombies and he'd found a mess of walkers converging around this guy in the middle of Atlanta. It should have been easy to just declare him screwed and run back to the department store, but it wasn't. So now he was risking his life to save whoever the hell this was.

A gun suddenly pointed at his face and he declared, "Whoa, not dead!" It was the same cop, surprisingly alive. Walkers were approaching from all sides, so he let the guy through and they hurried up a ladder. Once they were finally able to take a second and breathe he said to the cop, "Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood. Are you the new sheriff? Come riding in to clean up the town?"

"Wasn't my intention," said the man.

"Yeah, whatever. Yee-hah. You're still a dumbass." They started moving across the roof as they continued talking. He introduced himself and learned that Eastwood's real name was Rick.

They reached a staircase and headed down, travelling down an alley. He glanced back at the bus that blocked the horde from reaching them and silently thanked whoever had put that there. There were a few walkers but thankfully he had backup for that. He radioed the rest of the group and Morales came out with T-Dog dressed in riot gear. They began to take care of the walkers with baseball bats as he ran toward the door with Rick. Once they were inside his companions came back inside as well and the door was shut.

"We're dead because of you," Andrea spat at Rick, pointing her gun at him. Glenn instinctively took a couple of steps back to avoid getting involved in the conflict. It wasn't intentional, just a survivalist reflex. On the inside he hoped that Rick wouldn't get shot, though it was partially because he didn't want his heroic act to be for nothing.

After calming Andrea down, Morales introduced Rick to the problem. There were walkers at the door about to break it down, which put a time limit on them. Rick started rambling about a helicopter but they didn't have time to deal with that at the moment. T-Dog tried to reach the camp with his radio to no avail. At that moment, everyone heard gunshots coming from the roof and sighed in exasperation.

"Is that Dixon?" Andrea asked in disbelief. Glenn really hated Merle; he walked around like he was the boss of everyone and carried a sense of undeserved self-entitlement. Shane sometimes made decisions for the group, but at least he actually gave a shit about other people. Maybe he'd trip and fall off the roof.

There was relative peace at camp as noon came and went. Uri and Eddie had gone to help Dale make lunch for the people around. Of course they couldn't make food for everyone so the camp split into smaller groups so day to day activities weren't as difficult. Jim had been teaching Frank how to maintain the engine of the RV so it wouldn't stop working when they weren't driving it. Matthew had been with Carl for a while, make believing that the cars were at a demolition derby. Shane started making his way toward them, eyeing Matthew for a second before devoting his attention to Carl.

"Hey Carl," he called, "do you still want me to teach you knots?" Carl looked at Matthew, wanting to be polite.

"It's okay, I should go change my shirt anyway," he told Carl, standing up. As he began to stroll off, Shane grabbed his arm and stopped him. It wasn't a tight grip, just enough so he'd notice and pause.

"I saw what you did out there," Shane whispered. "The walkers would've gotten into camp and they probably would've hurt some people. Thanks. You're a tough son of a bitch." Then he let Matthew go and started talking to Carl. Matthew ran off to change into some clothes that weren't as bloodstained. He wasn't as scared of Shane as he'd been before, though the feeling wasn't completely gone.

It proved to be tough to find a new shirt. Other than his companions there were no other teenagers, and none of them were heavyset like he was. Most people hadn't thought to bring extra clothes anyway. It seemed like he was stuck with the stained garment until Carol noticed him and came walking over.

"Do you need help?" she inquired quietly. From what he'd heard her husband Ed was near the lake with Sophia, so she'd be free to speak for once.

"I was just looking for a shirt," he told her. "Didn't bring anything with me, and I don't think anyone around here's the same size as me. It's not that big of a deal."

"You look like you might be my husband's size," she stated, scanning over him discreetly. "Maybe you could have one of his shirts."

"Wouldn't he be mad?" asked Matthew. He knew what would happen to Carol if Ed found out she gave away his clothes.

"We don't have to tell him," she assured, guiding him over to her tent. She disappeared inside for a minute and he waited outside. When she came back out there was a black T-shirt in her grip and she handed it to him. He didn't want to take his shirt off in front of people, so he quickly darted behind a couple of trees nearby and changed. The shirt was a little big, but overall it was a pretty good fit.

"I appreciate it," he said to Carol gratefully. She nodded and left again, smiling at him before she was gone. Since there was nothing else left to do, he was going to find Dale and the others to see if they needed any help.

Merle Dixon was shooting walkers from the roof as they'd guessed, and he looked pretty pleased with himself. Glenn stood to the side as Morales and T-Dog criticized him for drawing attention and wasting bullets. Then Merle started spewing his racist shit and a fight broke out suddenly. Morales and Rick tried to intervene but both were punched and shoved out of the way. Survivalist reflex, Glenn jumped out of the way. T-Dog ended up on the ground with a gun pointed at his forehead. For a second Glenn thought that Merle might actually shoot, but instead Merle just spit on his chest.

"We're going to have ourselves a little pow-wow here!" he shouted to the group. "Talk about who's in charge here. I vote me, anybody else? Democracy time y'all. Show of hands! All in favor?" He kept repeating that line with the gun locked in place even as he stood up. With T-Dog as a hostage there wasn't really much they could do. Morales was first, and despite trying to hold out the others did as well. Glenn was the last to comply, looking for a way out.

While Merle was distracted with his vote Rick came from behind and started kicking his ass. When no one was looking Glenn couldn't help but grin, glad to see the redneck trash have the tables flipped on him. Merle was handcuffed to a pipe and Rick started talking to him about unity. It was a valiant effort, but wasted on someone like Merle.

"You won't shoot me, you're a cop," Merle challenged, smiling with red teeth.

"All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son," Rick told him coldly. Anyone who gets in the way of that is going to lose." He reached into Merle's shirt pocket and pulled out a packet of coke, tossing it off the roof. Naturally Merle started to cuss him out with every swear word in the English language.

While Dixon had his little temper tantrum over next to the pipe, the rest of them tried to plan how they were going to escape. Jacqui came up with the idea to check the building for a flood tunnel and they all went downstairs to check. T-Dog was left to guard Merle, since he was the one person who definitely was feeling no sympathy for him at the moment.

Of course they wanted him to go down into the tunnel. He'd opened his big mouth and it had gotten him volunteered. Andrea offered to go with him but he refused, if they were going to send him down there they'd do it his way.

"The first time I bring a group, everything goes to hell," he explained. Andrea had the gun so she needed to stay with Rick in case walkers started pouring in. Jacqui didn't look like the most physical person and T-Dog was on the roof. So Morales was accompanying him on this one. They descended into the darkness together and started venturing down the tunnel. There was a rat that scurried past them and he was tempted to kill it. Everyone in the world was dying and the damn rat got to live. But it was a stupid thought and he pushed it away.

When they arrived at the end of the tunnel they saw there was a grated barrier. It seemed like it was weak, like it could be broken down somehow. Morales suggested they use a hacksaw. At first it sounded smart, but then a walker started pressing its bloodied face against the grate. There was another rat hanging from its mouth, definitely not alive. That option was officially ruled out.

"Did you find a way out?" Jacqui asked as they ascended back to the surface. Morales shook his head and she swore, they'd have to break the news to everyone else.

Everyone was collected on the roof and looking for an exit. Rick scanned the city with binoculars and located a cube van at a construction site nearby. The problem was the sheer amount of walkers, more than the entire population of Atlanta. They couldn't charge out or they'd be surrounded, but the others suggested finding a way to get through quietly. If they could look like them and sound like them, but then there was still the problem of smell.

"They smell dead, we don't," Andrea explained to Rick. "It's pretty distinct." Glenn watched as Rick's eyes lit up and his stomach got a bad feeling, he was going to be volunteered for something again.

Morales and Rick brought the corpse in from the alley, and everyone was dressed in rain jackets and gloves. Rick had a fire axe in his grip, but he refrained from chopping for a moment. He started talking to all of them about Wayne Dunlap, how he'd used to worry about things like bills and the Super Bowl and the picture he had in his wallet. Glenn drifted in and out, looking down at the corpse with the bashed in head. He wondered if this was how he'd look when he died. If he did, it didn't seem likely that the people who killed him would care enough to find out who he was.

Then the fire axe came down repeatedly. Crunch, squish, crunch, squish, it was like some sick sort of cycle and it made him nauseated. The others were gasping and groaning and trying to look away, but he was strangely fixated on the sight. When the body was in pieces they started covering him with guts and he felt the bile rise in his throat. He swallowed it down and forced himself to breathe.

"Oh this is bad," he said weakly. "This is really bad."

"Think about something else," Rick suggested, "puppies and kittens."

"Dead puppies and kittens," added T-Dog. That time the bile couldn't be stopped and Glenn vomited on the floor.

_I must be fucking crazy,_ he repeated in his head. This cop was a bad influence on him, encouraging him to do stupid things. They were alone in the alley, heading for the bus that blocked them in. As they crawled under it he had to close his eyes so as not to see the amount of walkers they were voluntarily heading into. When they started walking down the street he willed himself to keep going forward. His arms were locked in place, his breath rapid. One came inches from him and he started to shake. Rick assured him they would be fine, and after a moment it lumbered away again.

Frank and Jim watched as Amy paced back and forth in front of the RV. Jim was examining the radiator hose with Dale. Matthew had taken his place on the roof to look out for walkers, his legs hanging over the side. Shane was a few yards away with Carl teaching him how to tie knots.

"It's late," she said with concern. "They should have been back by now." Matthew listened to everything they said but didn't react; he was too busy scribbling in a red notebook.

"Worrying won't make it better," Dale told her. That time Matthew smiled. They all heard a crack of thunder and looked up, watching dark clouds roll across the sky.

"Hello, base camp? Can anybody hear me?" T-Dog's voice came crackling through the radio, barely audible. "Base camp this is T-Dog, anybody hear me?" Matthew looked over at the radio and Dale quickly ascended the ladder up to the roof to answer.

"Hello, hello?" Dale replied, trying to get through. "Reception's bad, repeat, repeat."

"Shane is that you?" asked T-Dog. "We're trapped in the department store." Everyone had stopped what they were doing at this point and started to gather around the RV.

"He said they're trapped," Shane stated.

"Geeks all over the place, we're surrounded here," T-Dog explained. The transmission started to crackle out.

"T-Dog repeat that last, repeat, repeat," Dale instructed, but it was no use.

"He said the department store," said Lori Grimes. Dale confirmed it and people started looking to Shane.

"No way," he firmly told them. "We do not go after them, we do not risk the rest of the group and y'all know that."

"We're just going to leave her there?" Amy questioned angrily. "She volunteered to go to help the rest of us."

"She knew the risks," Shane reminded. "If she's trapped she's gone, you just have to deal with that." Amy looked like she wanted to smack him.

"She's my sister you son of a bitch," she snapped, storming off. Lori went after her and everyone started awkwardly looking for something to do. Frank glared at Shane once his back was turned and he returned to Carl. He knew that these people couldn't be trusted. But Uri had taken Eddie's side and now they were stuck here.

Uri saw Amy running toward the lake and followed her, concerned. Amy picked up a large rock and chucked it at the water, making a loud splash. As she vented her anger Uri approached cautiously.

"What's the matter?" she inquired.

"Andrea's in trouble and I can't do anything," Amy replied. "I should have gone with her."

"I met your sister," Uri said comfortingly. "She's tough as nails. She'll probably save the asses of everyone there." Amy smiled in spite of herself. Lori came walking up and Uri took the chance to excuse herself.

"Hello," Lori greeted politely. "I don't think we've met. You're Uri, right? I'm Lori, Carl's mother." Uri vaguely remembered seeing Matthew play cars with Carl earlier and Lori had seemed like she was nice. She shook Lori's hand and then let Lori by so she could talk to Amy.

God had to have something against Glenn. When he saw the rainclouds passing over them he started to panic. Within a couple minutes rain had begun to wash off the guts and they lost the smell of the walkers. A walker came at them and Rick killed it with the axe.

"Run!" he shouted, taking off. Glenn ran after him and they managed to reach the fence, hopping it before the walkers grabbed them. Rick began to fire shots at the walkers as Glenn ran over to locate the keys. Thankfully someone had been kind enough to leave them hung up with the others. He tossed the keys to Rick as walkers started to hop the fence and come at them.

"Go go go!" he yelled at Rick. The van quickly drove in reverse and then spun around, driving away from the hordes. "They're all over the place!"

"You need the draw them away," Rick told him. "Raise your friends, tell them to be ready."

"Drive the geeks away how?" he asked. "I missed that part."

"Noise." Maybe God did like him after all if he was willing to give him a sports car. The red beauty was just waiting on the side of the road for them. Rick shattered the windows and its alarm started going off, loud enough to attract anyone for miles.

"There's a roll up door facing the street, meet us there and be ready," he told the others through the radio. He drove the car right up to the store and stopped it inches from the hordes of walkers, letting the noise attract them right to him. When they got to close he reversed a few feet and repeated the process. After a few times he turned around and sped away, not bothering to look back. They lumbered after him but they were nowhere near fast enough and he found himself outside of the city lines in a matter of minutes. Once he was a safe distance away he parked it. The rest was up to Rick.

After a couple of minutes he heard Rick on the radio, "Glenn where are you?"

"Just outside the city, waiting for your slow ass," he joked. "Did you get everybody out?"

"Everybody except Dixon," Rick confessed. Karma was a bitch. Glenn pulled down the driver's mirror and looked at himself in the driver's seat. He felt like a badass.

When the van approached he started the car again and drove alongside it back toward the camp. They'd have to shut the alarm off, but for the moment he'd just enjoy the drive.

Matthew and Uri were both waiting by the RV late in the afternoon, observing everything. Lori was giving Carl a haircut and Shane was watching. Jim fixed the tin cans around the perimeter and the Morales kids ran around as Miranda tried to keep them still.

"How are you liking this place?" she asked.

"It seems like we could have a place here," he answered. "What about you guys?" She shrugged and he added, "You never said why it was just the three of you."

"When the shit hit the fan we were just normal kids like everyone else," she explained. "Me and Frank grew up together so our families ran for the hills together. We tried to make it to Macon but we found a group before we got there. That's where we met Eddie. Things went bad and he helped us escape but it was just us."

"At least you three have each other," he offered to make her feel better.

"You have us too," she stated.

The sound of a loud alarm hit their ears all of a sudden and a red car drove up to the camp. Glenn got out and at once everyone started circling around him. Matthew picked up that everyone had made it out except for Merle and then Shane started chewing him out. Jim was finally able to cut the alarm. Not long after a white van pulled up as well and the rest of the group got out as well. They were received warmly by everyone, hugs and happiness all around. Andrea and Amy hugged, Morales was greeted by his family and Dale. Carl got pulled away from the crowd by Lori and it looked like he was ready to cry. Matthew remembered hearing from Eddie that his dad hadn't made it.

"You are a welcome sight," Dale said to Morales. "I thought we'd lost you all for sure."

"How'd you all get out anyway?" Shane asked curiously.

"New guy," Glenn answered.

"New guy?" Shane inquired.

"Yeah, just got into town," Morales told him. "Hey helicopter boy, come meet everyone! He's a cop Shane, just like you." There was a man in police uniform who came walking over and there was a shock value that came with him.

"Dad, Dad!" Carl shouted as he ran over to the man. The eyes of everyone at camp widened quickly and the man embraced Carl, falling on the ground as he cried tears of joy. Lori came over as well and they had a family hug, bringing smiles to the faces of all. Matthew felt a small twinge of jealousy but it passed when he saw the smile on the young boy's face.

There was a campfire later that evening where people gathered around in a minor celebration. Matthew and the others were there as well, Matthew sitting next to Dale. The man, who he'd learned was named Rick, had both his arms around Carl and Lori had her arm around him, as if they were determined to not ever part contact again.

"I guess the feeling comes close to disoriented," he explained to everyone.

"Words can be meager things," Dale said. "Sometimes they fall short."

"It was like I'd been ripped out of my own life," Rick continued. "For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream I might not wake up from."

"Mom said you were dead," Carl interrupted. Rick stroked his hair gently and smiled down at him.

"She had every reason to believe that," he assured his son. "Don't you ever doubt it."

"When things started to get really bad," whispered Lori, "the hospital said they were going to medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta. But it never happened."

Rick and Shane started exchanging comments to each other about Shane rescuing Lori and Carl. Their discussions were interrupted when Ed put a log on his own fire and the others all looked over at him. Shane had to walk over and remind him that they needed to keep the fires low. When he finally conceded Ed had Carol pull the log off and it was clear how uncomfortable she and Sophia were. It made them sick, thinking about how they were abused.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Dale questioned once Shane had returned to their fire. "He won't be happy to hear that his brother's been left behind." Matthew thought about how angry Daryl had seemed that first day when they'd been brought back to camp, and he knew that would probably happen again. The others started arguing about who was going to tell him and Andrea tried to rationalize Merle's idiotic behavior. No doubt Merle had been an asshole, but he was still someone's brother.

"I was scared," T-Dog told everyone, "and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it."

"We were all scared," reasoned Andrea. "We all ran. What's your point?"

"I stopped long enough to chain that door," T-Dog responded. "The staircase is narrow, maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze through there at one time but it's not enough to break through there. Not that chain, not that padlock. My point, Dixon's alive. He's still up there, handcuffed on that roof, and that's on us." After that he got up and walked away. Eddie decided to follow him.

"T-Dog, wait up," he called, trailing behind him until they reached the tent.

"I just left him there," T-Dog hissed angrily, though more angry at himself. "I left him there to rot like he was an animal. It wasn't what I was trying to do, I just messed up. I should've stayed there."

"That wouldn't have helped either of you," Eddie pointed out logically. "You didn't kill him. He's alive. That has to count for something."

"I hope it counts for Dixon," T-Dog countered. "We should get some sleep." Eddie nodded and followed him into the tent. No matter what happened, tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.

**Sorry if I skipped around a bit or summarized, but it was long enough as it is. I wanted Glenn's perspective for episode two so it wasn't just a novelization of the episode. Let me know what you thought. Hopefully i'll update soon.**


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